Biblical World View-Question 6

What happens to man at death?

Death is a subject pondered by all at some point or another. Some await it with trepidation. Others are fascinated by it's mystery. And then there are those that try to simply not think about it at all. But all have thought on the result of death to some extent.
Is death the empty beginning to nothing? Is it the end, with nothing on the other side? Or is it just the passing into another form? Will we live again on this earth creature befitting the behavior of our previous life? Is there a Heaven or Hell? If there is, how do I know which will be my future home? The list of questions goes on. Do we as Christians have answers to these questions? The answer is yes. We can be completely calm about death. We don't need to fear the unknown because it's not an unknown. We have the answers in the Bible.

Jesus gave us glimpses of what heaven will be like in His parable about Lazarus and the Rich man. Luke 16:19-31
The first thing to notice about these two men is their status on earth. The rich man was just that, rich. He was dressed in fine linen and spent every day in the luxuries that accompanied one of his wealth. Lazarus on the other hand was a beggar. He was starving and ready to accept the scraps from another man's table. Talk about losing you dignity. On top of that, his body was covered in sores and these sores were licked by dogs. A pretty miserable situation. Now, you are most likely sitting there thinking "What on earth does this have to do with death?" Verse 22 answers that.

Luke 16:22 - The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.

"Ok? So what? What are you trying to get at?" Simply this, EVERYONE DIES!!! That's right. No sugar coating. It doesn't matter how rich or how poor you are, YOU ARE GOING TO DIE! Now that that's settled, we can really get down to business. What lies on the other side of that unspeakable abyss we call death? What happened to these men who lived such different lives?

The rich man, after death, entered Hell, where he was tormented. Lazarus, however, was carried to Abraham's side. The rich man seeing this former beggar pleaded with Abraham and in his pleadings he gave us a small peak at what Hell is like. He calls for Lazarus to put water on his tongue which is in agony because of the fire. From this small request we learn a lot. There is fire in Hell. The fire causes agony. There is thirst for those who dwell there. And no water is available to quench this thirst.

How does Abraham respond to the rich mans cry? He reminds him of the good he received in his life and the bad Lazarus received in his. He then tells us something about the passage from Heaven to Hell. It is inhibited by a great chasm. There is no passage from one to the other.

So how did Jesus answer the question"'What happens to man at death?'. In the glimpse that He gave, He showed two possibilities. Heaven, and Hell.


Heaven:What is it like?

Psalms 33:13-14, Matthew 6:9, Acts 1:11

Heaven is God's dwelling place.

John 14:1-3, John 17:5, 24, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17,

A place is being prepared for us in heaven.

2 Corinthians 12:2,4, 2 Corinthians 5:1-8

While only God knows all that is in store for us in heaven, we do know that it will be more wonderful than anything we can imagine. We will be clothed with heavenly dwellings.

Psalms 23:6, Revelation 21:4

Heaven will be without tears, pain, and suffering. It is an eternal home of goodness and mercy.

Revelation 5:6, Revelation 14:1, Revelation 22:4

The Lamb (Jesus) will be enthroned, and all who are saved will be with Him and His father's name will be on their foreheads.

Jeremiah 30:22, Ephesians 2:7, Ephesians 3:9, 1 Corinthians 2:9


That which God has prepared for His people is incomprehensible.



Hell:What is it like?

Matthew 25:41-46 Revelation 20:11-15

Those who's names are not found in the book of life will be thrown into the eternal lake of fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 8:12, Matthew 13:42,50, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 24:51, Matthew 25:30, Luke 16:23, 1 Thessalonians 5:3, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, 2 Peter 3:7, Jude 7, 13, Revelations 20:10

Hell is an eternal fire of burning sulfur which is enshrouded in the blackest darkness. It is filled with weeping and gnashing of teeth because of the great torment. There is no water to quench the thirst of those dwelling there. But worse than all these torments is the separation from God.


What does the bible teach about the resurrection?

Psalms 49:15, Psalms 71:20, Hosea 13:14, John 5:25, John 6:40, Acts 24:15, 1 Corinthians 15:22, 2 Corinthians 4:14, 1 Thessalonians 4:16

All will be raised from the dead and taken to God for judgment. Those that have believed in Christ, however, will be raised first. God has ransomed us from the graves power and it no longer has dominion over us.

When you add all this information together you get the answer to the question, 'what happens to man at death'. First, all shall be raised from the dead and taken to the judgment seat of God. There He will judge all men and send them to their eternal home. Those that are redeemed by the finished work of Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Heaven with God. Those that are without redemption will be spend eternity in the fire of Hell.